Many say the smell of their tap water has become so bad, they don’t even want to drink it.

At restaurants in Denison, some diners are being served up flavors that aren’t on the menu.

“You can just tell that there’s some sort of funkiness in the taste of it,” Tupelo Bar and Grill owner Micah Bracy said.

Bracy says he smelled an earthy taste to the tap water about two weeks ago. He says customers have noticed it, too.

“It definitely hurts business and you don’t want them to think that it’s just your establishment,” Bracy said.

Dean Rylant, water plant superintendent in Denison, says he’s received dozens of calls from residents during the past couple weeks.

He says he explains warmer water at the bottom of Randell Lake rises at about this time each year bringing more dirt and sediment to the top.

This year, though, he says the saturation is stronger because an aeration system that’s supposed to blend the water had been out of service for about six weeks.

“So it was the same water laying there over and over in the sun baking it and so forth. It’s just developed a taste,” Rylant said.

Rylant says the musty taste may also be traced back to a small algae bloom.

Still, he says the water is safe to drink.

“It just tastes different and it’s not unsafe, I mean, our bacteriological samples are okay. Our chlorine residuals are good. The pH is fine, it’s not corrosive or anything. It just tastes different,” Rylant said.

Rylant says the department is working to improve the water’s taste.

The aeration system has been repaired and some lines are now being flushed to get the better water flowing faster to homes and businesses, like Bracy’s.

“As long as we can fix the problem,” he said. “It’s unfortunate that it happened but, yeah, if they’ve got a handle on what the problem is, then yea, I’m happy.”

Rylant says it could take up to two weeks for service across Denison to see a full improvement.